This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for slicing fruits and vegetables including mushrooms. Particulary, it relates to such method and apparatus having a plurality of rotating cutter blades for slicing mushrooms that are conveyed to and through the rotating blades.
Mushroom slicing method and apparatus previously used in the industry as shown U.S. Pat. No. 2,178,920 to Savery issued Nov. 7, 1939, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,978,003 to Benekam issued Apr. 4, 1961, have encompassed sets of intermeshing rotating cutting blades set within a tank of flowing water. In Savery, the blades are mounted parallel to each other on a horizontal rotating shaft whose axis of rotation is perpendicular to the direction of water flow within the tank. Mushrooms are dumped into one end of the tank and are carried by the flow into the intermeshing vertical blades which coact to slice the mushrooms. Most mushrooms entering the blades float in an upright position with their heads up and stems down and are sliced along their vertical axes accordingly. The water current carries the emerging slices to the other end of the tank where they are removed.
In the Benekam patent, by contrast, the blades are mounted on a vertical shaft and thus are horizontal. The current carries the mushrooms into coacting sets of parallel blades which slice the upright mushrooms entering them perpendicular to their vertical axes.
A principal disadvantage of such prior mushroom slicing apparatus is that mushroom slices tend to become wedged between the blades rather than pass through them. The slices are compressed between blades, and their resiliency causes them to bind. Unless the slices are continuously removed, the spaces between the blades become clogged, impairing the effectiveness of the subsequent slicing action. Scraping the slices from between the blades and shaft is one approach, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,176 of Glass issued Jan. 29, 1974. But at least some of the mushroom slices are bruised and damaged by the force of the scraper.
Another drawback of prior mushroom slicing apparatus arises because of the intermeshing blades. These blades overlap with a fine tolerance and eventually are driven out of alignment as they slice through the mushrooms. To preserve the blades and assure optimum slicing of the mushrooms, the slicing apparatus must be shutdown regularly to realign or replace the blades.
Also in the prior devices, a significant share of mushrooms are not fed into the blades oriented for optimum slicing, i.e., parallel to the stem axis. Improperly sliced mushrooms are of a lower value and must be separated from the other slices, a time-consuming and costly process.